To add to my post about breathing exercises, you can search for Breathing Gif on your phone and get a representation of a circle getting bigger and smaller, or a flower opening and closing to help you breathe slowly.
I am trying to focus on the silver linings amidst all of the dark clouds. Three years of staying at home nearly 24 hours a day, 7 days a week , has helped me to be better prepared for our quarantine. Before everything just about shut down and the store shelves emptied, I was already stocking up on essentials because I never knew when I would have someone available to stay with my H. Two friends have offered to shop for me so I have been able to get the milk and cottage cheese that H likes every day. About the only thing I am really missing is my versatile salad mix that I can use for salad, add to soup, or stir fry. I will try not to think of the pounds I will put on when my craving for crunchy leads me to chips instead of veggies.
I read/watch the news early in the day so it interferes less with my sleep. After 7 pm, I try to distract myself with inspirational thoughts, books, and videos. I have a relatively new fan crush on Alfie Boe (and Michael Ball) after watching a YouTube video of the 25th anniversary of Les Mis. Alfie’s soaring voice lifts my spirits. I watch several videos each night of different songs from their concerts and have my Amazon echo play music while I sleep. Night time of course, is the worst time for the anxious thoughts, so I try to distract myself.
My son who is self-quarantining alone across the country in LA has been great about calling more frequently. My one moment of near panic came when I thought of him being alone so far away. I chased those thoughts as quickly as I could and focused on the silver lining: we can all connect with our electronics and my family, although physically separated has stayed in touch. Hopefully, this pause in our lives will make us realize what is truly important.
From WNYC, NYC public radio:
Managing Anxiety in the Pandemic
Lori Gottlieb, psychotherapist, Dear Therapist columnist for The Atlantic and the author of Maybe You Should Talk to Someone (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2019), offers advice for handling anxiety as listeners share what’s working for them.
https://www.wnyc.org/story/managing-anxiety-pandemic
I know this might sound a little odd, but the one thing that relaxes me before bedtime and as a way to tune the news and anxieties out of my mind is to watch the youtube videos of Bon Appetit Gourmet Makes series with Claire Saffitz. She’s a pastry chef that tries to recreate a gourmet version of popular snacks like Pop Tarts, Cheetos, Girl Scout Cookies, etc. She has a very soothing voice and the relationship she has with her co-workers is similar to the show The Office.
I had a really rough day today. I made the mistake of looking at the news too much. And it poured rain all day so I couldn’t take a walk, which is what I’ve been doing when I need to change my mindset. What ultimately worked was to watch about an hour’s worth of puppy videos. It really helped!
The thought of easing social distancing next week has me more anxious. I may not leave my apt at all if that happens.
Night before last I woke up spontaneously at 3 AM and got a couple more hours worth of sleep after sunrise. Last night I was up until after 3 AM. My inner clock is whipsawing all over the place.
I need good sleep hygiene to handle the stress better, but good sleep is one of the first things to go when I’m stressed. Love it.
I’ve been trying to stay upbeat. I’ve been trying to look at the few silver linings. I keep telling myself and my kids that we’re lucky with so many things. We just have to stay healthy. We just had a video call with my kids, their significant others and our beautiful seventeen month old granddaughter. I got off the call and instead of it lifting me up it made me feel so sad. I have no idea when we’ll all be together. It was almost worse seeing them. I hesitate to complain because we’re all in the same boat. I just needed to vent somewhere.
I’m still not able to sleep before 3am. It’s exhausting and frustrating.
We did a Skype session with our son a few days ago and it made me really sad, too. I want to all be together and hug all my kids!
I don’t worry about things in general. We aren’t obsessively watching or reading the news, and I’ve been a homebody all my life. We are aware of what’s going on and know the rules for hand-washing, social distancing, and isolating, and we’re doing all three, but we’re actually enjoying being home, cooking, reading, cleaning, watching movies, working on our hobbies, listening to music, and talking daily to our only child who is bored enough to want to phone the ‘rents. The weather is beautiful here, our garden is producing, and our community’s club restaurant is filling online orders for any meats/produce/alcohol through their suppliers at 20% above cost, so we don’t have to leave our gates for much.
Once I’m doing all I believe I can do, I let the rest go and sleep well. I don’t let things that are out of my control bother me. I know for most people that’s easier said than done, but I’ve been this way all my life. I don’t downplay the seriousness of this event, but it isn’t affecting my daily life much yet. When/if it does, I’ll filter those changes through the serenity prayer as I usually do and move on. In the meantime, DH and I are enjoying our time and evening cocktails together.
I SOOOOOO wish I were like you instead of my tortured self.
@psychomomma, I’m having major sleep disturbances as well. Which I know is not good for the immune system.
D1 is a Ph.D specializing in anxiety and depression. She sent me some material to help me cope.
I’m enjoying this thread. My anxiety is dialed up to 11. Or, I get totally distracted and it’s at 0. So, I’m trying to stay busy. However, tonight we went to the grocery store and I was dialed up to 12 while there. Eeek.
I got to experience ChoatieMom’s serenity for a few months thanks to a pill. It was amazing to feel calm all the time. People who are born that way have no idea how lucky they are.
My biggest anxiety trigger is my elderly parents (ages 81 and 90) and the horrifying thought of what would happen if either of them fell ill. That is what keeps me up at night. If they were no longer on this earth, I would still be very upset but I think I would be able to find more moments of peace.
Humor is a great counter to stress. On that note, I found this 14 second video about corona quarantining hysterically funny:
@OneMoreToGo2021 , that is so funny I sent it to my husband. Thanks for the laugh. I have to admit…I’m thankful my kids are grown during this.
My sleep hours have veered wildly – between early-waking insomnia at 3 AM to not-being-able-to-sleep until after 3 AM – but last night I was able to sleep from 1:30 AM to 7 AM. Feeling almost normal.
Headed for the attic and my NordicTrack for the first time in months . . . soon. 
My kids have been housebound for 20 days already and I’ve been mostly work from home for about a week.
I was doing ok until just very recently when I realized I don’t have my “affairs in order” at all. No will or trust for the kids…and I’m a single mom. So now I’m stressing all the time worrying about what would happen to them. It makes zero sense that I would be freaking about it now when I was fine with taking the risk every time I got behind the wheel of my car up until now, but I’m out of my mind anxious.
I also had the misfortune of reading a parents tale of having their young child taken away and put into isolation at the hospital so now I’m freaking about that too. I can’t imagine not being able to be with them during a time like that when they’re scared and sick. My 17 year old would handle it like a champ. My 9 year old? No way. He is terrified just going to urgent care for a strep test.
The best treatment I’ve found for my anxiety is getting out walking or visiting the animals (we live on a hobby farm), and watching comedies on Netflix. Sitcoms, movies, stand-up, anything but the news.
@cshell2 aren’t there some online “wills” you can fill out? Just to have something on paper. Wonder if that would give you some peace of mind.
Maybe someone here can direct to something.
@abasket - I honestly don’t know what I’d even put in it…which is probably why I didn’t do one before. I would like to name a guardian for my 9 year old, but the truth is, he’d end up with his dad. I am not thrilled with that at all (due to the history), but it’s what the courts would do. I am going to go in and change the beneficiary of my life insurance as soon as I can think of a trustworthy person to have it be.